Myths of Creation: Classifying Cosmogonies Quiz

Cosmogony and Cosmology

• Cosmogony refers to the birth of order, studying the origin of the universe.
• Cosmology, on the other hand, studies the universe at large and throughout its existence, without inquiring directly into the source of its origins.

Classification of Cosmogonies

• Creation ex nihilo: the creation of the world from nothing, examples include:
  • Hebrew: Book of Genesis
  • Egyptian: Ptah creates through speech
  • Australian: Aboriginal creation myths
  • Greek: Hesiod's Theogony begins with a great abyss, void
  • Mayan: Popul Vu
• Earth-diver creation story: a divinity sends a waterfowl or amphibious creature to dive to the bottom of the primordial waters and bring up mud to create the world.
• Emergence from lower worlds: examples include:
  • Navajo and Hopi myths
  • Polynesian myth of various layers within a coconut shell
• Creation from a cosmic egg: examples include:
  • Africa, China, India, South Pacific, Greece, and Japan
  • Dogon people of West Africa describe the cosmic egg as the "placenta of the world"
• World-parent myth: examples include:
  • Enuma Elish: the creation story of the Babylonians
  • Egyptian, Zuni, and Polynesian myths

Approaches to Cosmogony

• Van Over's Six Basic Themes:
  • Idea of a primeval abyss
  • Originator(s) awakened or eternally existing in this abyss
  • Originator(s) brood over the water
  • Theme of the cosmic egg or embryo
  • Creation from sacred sound or spoken word
  • Theme of creation from the death of and body parts of the primeval god
• Maclagan's 8 themes:
  • Inner and outer
  • Something from nothing
  • Conjugation of opposites
  • World order and the order of the worlds
  • Descent and ascent
  • Earth body and sacrifice
  • Death, time, and the elements
• Weigle's nine-part typology:
  • Accretion or conjunction
  • Secretion
  • Sacrifice
  • Division or conjugation
  • Earth-diver
  • Emergence
  • Two creators
  • Deus faber
  • Ex nihilo

Types of Creation Myth

• Accretion or Conjunction Stories: the birth of order resulting from the mingling or layering of primal elements.
• Secretion Stories: the cosmos resulting from divine emissions, such as vomit, sweat, or urination.
• Sacrifice Stories: the creator god sacrifices him or herself or someone else to complete the work of creation.
• Division or Consummation Stories: the consummation motif shares with cosmogonic egg myths the knowledge that tiny germs contain within them astonishing potential for organized growth.
• Earth-Diver Stories: a god or agent dives to the bottom of the primordial deep and returns with a few grains of sand or a bit of mud from which the earth and the rest of the cosmos eventually arise.
• Emergence Stories: the first people or person journey from an original, cramped world or womb into this world.
• Two Creators: two gods creating the world through cooperation or competition.
• Deus Faber: the Maker God, the quintessential architect, artisan, or craftsperson.
• Ex Nihilo: the creator brings the world into being through speech, breath, dream, thought, or laughter.

Reading Creation Myths

• Keep in mind that the categories through which we discuss creation myths need not be strictly distinct and unrelated.
• Many myths exhibit multiple characteristics.
• Mythologists ask probing questions, such as:
  • Why do certain cultures depict the creation through one chosen type rather than another?
  • What is the culture ultimately trying to say about itself?
  • Do any categories emphasize some values over other values?
  • Do their environments influence the moods or tones of their stories?
  • What kind of relationship is depicted between creators and humans and does this speak to a culture's contemporary understanding of divine beings?
  • What symbols are used and what remains significant about these symbols in more contemporary descendants?

Test your knowledge on classifications of cosmogonies, including Weigle's nine-part typology and types of creation myths such as accretion or conjunction stories. Explore different theories like accretion, secretion, sacrifice, division, earth-diver, emergence, two creators, deus faber, and ex nihilo.